More Snow Hits Yakima And Tri-City Areas

Both the Yakima Calley and Tri-City areas are hit with a fresh blanket of snow on Christmas, making driving more difficult for everyone.

We met with Tracy Arostegui, who has lived in Yakima for over 20 years.

Arostegui says she tends to get frightened when driving in the snow.

"I spin around quite a bit, yeah, get stuck a little bit," said Arostegui, "Last year I got stuck a lot. But on the main roads, it's okay."

Yesterday, the Tri-Cities saw about an inch of snow, while many parts of Yakima recorded over four inches.

City of Yakima crews got to work last night, clearing the main streets well into this morning.

Many drivers were prepared to hit the slippery and slushy roads, while others found themselves trapped at home.

"I drive a Prius, and so the Prius cars don't do very well going up hills," said Karen Miller, "So usually I get stuck about 20 feet from my driveway, so I just don't take it out anymore."

The city says it typically does not clear side streets until the snow reaches about 6 inches.

As a result, private contractors have been out all night clearing the streets in neighborhoods and driveways.

"We're just trying to do the best we can as far as clearing the streets off and doing our job for public safety," said Corral's employee Marcos Castillo, "There have been a lot of fender benders on the news with the bad weather. Obviously, we want to eliminate that as much as we can."

Tracy Arostegui admits she drives as slow as possible when traveling through the snow, but would rather be safe than sorry.

"If my son's in the car, he laughs; but also it's a good reminder, even though he's in the car and he's laughing, slow down before I get on to the main roads," said Arostegui, "It's actually scary, and reminds you how snow maybe looks harmless, but it can be pretty scary."

Private contractors say they plan on clearing more side streets in various neighborhoods later tonight.